The present invention relates to autoregulating electric heaters and methods of using same, and more particularly, to a small ferromagnetic autoregulating electric heater that may be temporarily disposed about a part to be heated or soldered. The heater may be integrated as a permanent part of the structure or removed for subsequent repetitive uses after each heating application is completed.
In the U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,945 of Carter and Krumme, there is described an autoregulating electric heater having a laminated structure; one lamina of which has high magnetic permeability and high resistance and another lamina of which is non-magnetic and has a low resistance (such as copper) in electrical contact, and therefore, thermal contact with the first lamina. This structure is adapted to be connected across a constant current, a.c. source such that the layers are in a sense in parallel across the source.
Due to skin effect, the current is initially confined to the high magnetic permeability, high resistance layer so that P=KR.sub.1 where P is power, K is I.sup.2 which is a constant, and R is the effective resistance of the permeable material at high current concentrations. The dissipation of power heats the layer until it approaches its Curie temperature. The permeability of the lamina decreases towards the level of the second layer, copper for instance, at about its Curie temperature. The current is no longer confined to the high resistivity first lamina by the magnetic properties of the first lamina, and spreads into the copper layer; the resistance to the current drops materially, the power consumed, P=KR.sub.2 where R.sub.2 &lt;&lt;R.sub.1 is greatly reduced and the heating effect is reduced to a level that maintains the device at or near the Curie temperature. The device thus thermally autoregulates over a narrow temperature range about the Curie temperature.
The current source employed in the aforesaid patent is typically a high frequency source, for instance, 8 to 20 MHz to insure that the current is confined to the thin, high resistivity, magnetic layer until the Curie temperature of the magnetic material is attained. Specifically, the maximum regulation is achieved when the thickness of the magnetic layer is of the order of one skin depth at the frequency of operation. Under these circumstances, the maximum change in effective resistance of the structure is achieved at or about the Curie temperature. This fact can be demonstrated by reference to the equation for skin depth in a monolithic, i.e., non-laminar magnetic structure: ##EQU1## where 29 is the resistivity of the material in ohm-cms, .mu. is relative magnetic permeability and f is frequency of the current. The field falls off in accordance with e.sup.-x where x is thickness/skin depth. Accordingly, in a monolithic structure, by calculation, 63.2% of the current is confined to one skin depth in the high mu material. In the region of the Curie temperature, where .mu.=1, the current spreads into a region S.D.=5030 ##EQU2## If mu was originally equal to 200 (200-1000 being common), the skin depth in the region at the Curie temperature increases by the square root of 200; i.e., the skin depth in the monolithic structure is now 14.14 times greater than with .mu.=200.
The same type of reasoning concerning the skin effect may be applied to the two layer laminar structure in the aforesaid patent. Below the Curie temperature, the majority of the current flows in the magnetic layer when the thickness of this layer is nominally one skin depth. In the region of the Curie temperature, the majority of the current now flows in the copper and the resistance drops dramatically. If the thickness of this high mu material were greater than two skin depths, the percentage change of current flowing in the high conductivity copper would be less and the resistivity change would not be as dramatic. Similarly, if the thickness of the high mu material were materially less than one skin depth, the percentage of current flowing in the high resistivity material at a temperature less than the Curie temperature would be less so that the change of resistance at the Curie temperature would again not be as dramatic. The region of 1.0 to perhaps 1.8 skin depths of high mu material is preferred.
An exact relationship for the two layer case is quite complex. The basic mathematical formulas for surface impedance from which expressions can be obtained for the ratio of the maximum resistance, R.sub.max, below the Curie temperature, to the minimum resistance, R.sub.min, above the Curie temperature, are given in Section 5.19, pp. 298-303 of the standard reference, "Fields and Waves in Communications. Electronics," 3rd Edition, by S. Ramo, J. R. Winnery, and T. VanDuzer, published by John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1965. Although the theory described in the above reference is precise only for the case of flat layers, it is still accurate enough for all practical applications in which the skin depth is substantially less than the radius of curvature.
Difficulty may arise in such devices when the Curie temperature is achieved due to spread of the current and/or magnetic flux into adjacent regions outside of the device, particularly if the device is located close to sensitive electrical components.
In copending patent application of Carter and Krumme, Ser No. 243,777, filed Mar. 16, 1981, a continuation-in-part application of the application from which the aforesaid patent matured, there is described a mechanism for preventing the high frequency field generated in the heated device from radiating into the regions adjacent the device. This effect is accomplished by insuring that the copper or other material of high conductivity is sufficiently thick, several skin depths at the frequency of the source, to prevent such radiation and electrical field activity. This feature is important in many applications of the device such as a soldering iron where electromagnetic fields may induce relatively large currents in sensitive circuit components which may destroy such components.
As indicated above, the magnetic field in a simple, single layer, i.e., monolithic structure, falls off as e.sup.-x so that at three skin depths, the field is 4.9% of maximum, at five skin depths, it is 0.67%, and at ten skin depths, the field is 0.005% of maximum. For some uses, thicknesses of three skin depths are satisfactory although at least five are preferred in most cases, ten or more may be required with some highly sensitive devices in the vicinity of large heating currents.
The devices of the patent and aforesaid application are operative for their intended purposes when connected to a suitable supply, but a drawback is the cost of the high frequency power supply. Where only a very low field may be permitted to radiate from the device, the frequency of the source is preferably maintained quite high, for instance, in the megahertz region, to be able to employ copper or other non-magnetic material having reasonable thicknesses.
In accordance with the invention of co-pending application of John F. Krumme, Ser. No. 543,443, filed Oct. 25, 1983, a continuation in part of Ser. No. 430,317 , filed Sept. 30, 1982, now abandoned; both said applications being entitled "Autoregulating Electrically Shielded Heater", a relatively low frequency constant current source may be employed as a result of fabricating the normally non-magnetic, low resistivity layer from a high permeability, high Curie temperature material. Thus, the device comprises a high permeability, high resistivity first layer adjacent the current return path and a high permeability, preferably low resistivity second layer remote from the return path; the second layer having a higher Curie temperature than the first-mentioned layer.
As used herein, the term "high magnetic permeability" refers to materials having permeabilities greater than para-magnetic materials, i.e., ferromagnetic materials, although permeabilities of 100 or more are preferred for most applications.
The theory of operation underlying the invention of the aforesaid application filed on Sept. 30, 1982 is that by using a high permeability, high Curie temperature material as the low resistivity layer, the skin depth of the current in this second layer is such as to confine the current to a quite thin layer even at low frequencies thereby essentially insulating the outer surfaces electrically and magnetically but not thermally with a low resistivity layer of manageable thickness. The second layer is preferably formed of a low resistivity material, but this is not essential.
An example of a device employing two high mu laminae utilizes a layer of Alloy 42 having a resistivity of about 70-80 micro-ohms-cm, a permeability about 200, and a Curie temperature of approximately 300.degree. centigrade. A second layer is formed of carbon steel having a resistivity of about 10 micro-ohms-cm, a permeability of 1000, and a Curie temperature of about 760.degree. centigrade. The skin depths, using a 60 Hz supply are 0.1" for Alloy 42 and 0.025" for carbon steel. An example of a practical 60 Hz heater based on the above, may employ a coaxial heater consisting of a 0.25 inch diameter cylindrical or tubular copper conductor (the "return" conductor), a thin layer (perhaps 0.002 in thickness) of insulation, followed by the temperature sensitive magnetic alloy having a permeability of 400 and a thickness of 0.1 inch, and finally an outer jacket of steel having a permeability of 1000 and a thickness of 0.1 inch. The overall heater diameter would be 0.65 inch. If the heater is used in a situation requiring 5 watts per foot of heater length for instance, for protection of a liquid against freezing, the total length of the heater is 1000 feet, the resistance of the heater will be 1.96 ohms. The current will be 50 amperes, and the voltage at the generator end will be 140 volts at temperatures somewhat below the Curie temperature of the temperature sensitive magnetic alloy on the inside of the outer pipe. If there were substantial changes in the electrical resistance due to variations of the thermal load, the required voltage must vary in order to maintain constant current. Such a supply provides current at costs considerably less than a constant current supply at 8 to 20 MHz.
The power regulation ratios (AR) in such a device; 2:1 to 4:1, are not as high as with the device of the patent with a resistivity difference of about 10:1, but the AR difference may be reduced by using materials of higher and lower resistivities for the low Curie temperature and high Curie temperature materials, respectively. Also, a high mu, relatively low resistivity material such as iron or low carbon steel may be employed to further increase the power regulation ratio.
In accordance with the invention of copending patent application Ser. No. 445,862 of John F. Krumme filed on Dec. 1, 1982, autoregulation power ratios of 6:1 to 7:1 are attained while retaining the ability to utilize low frequency supplies without producing unacceptable levels of field radiation.
The objects of the invention are achieved by providing a region of high conductivity at the interface of the two members having high permeability as set forth in the Krumme application, Ser. No. 543,443, filed Oct. 25, 1983.
The material in the interface region may be copper, for instance, or other highly conductive material. The material may appear as a separate layer, a sandwich of magnetic, nonmagnetic and magnetic material or may be bonded to the high and/or low Curie temperature, ferromagnetic layers at the interface to provide a low resistivity, interface region.
Typical thicknesses of the sandwich construction for 1 KHz are 0.03" for both the low and high Curie temperature ferromagnetic materials, respectively, and 0.010 inch for the copper layer.
In operation, as the Curie temperature of the first layer is approached and its permeability rapidly decreases, the current spreads into the copper layer and into the second magnetic layer. The total resistance of the structure, due to the presence of the copper, drops dramatically providing a high autoregulating ratio. Also, most of the current is confined to the copper layer and only a small percentage penetrates into the second magnetic layer. In consequence, this latter layer need be only 3 to 5 skin depths thick to effect virtually complete shielding of the device. Thus, the object of a large autoregulating power ratio in a relatively small device using a low frequency source is achieved. By a low frequency is meant a source in the range of 50 Hz to 10,000 Hz although 50 to 8000 Hz is fully adequate.
With autoregulating ratios of 6:1 and 7:1, the heating variations below and above Curie temperature are quite large so that the apparatus may respond rapidly to thermal load variations and thus maintain accurate temperature regulation in a small device operating at low frequency.
In all of the above cases, the autoregulating heater structures are rigid and either constitute all or part of the device to be heated, i.e., the work piece, and becomes of necessity, a part of the final structure. The rigidity of the prior devices and the fact that the devices are, of necessity, part of the work, prevents their use in certain specialized areas.